Continued from Part 1. A crash earlier this week provided ample evidence of how fixed objects like dimwitted bulls standing in the roadway might cause fatal motorcycle accidents. Early on Tuesday before dawn, Timothy Martin, 43, was tragically killed in a crash in Honey Grove, Texas when his motorcycle collided with a dark and dimwitted bull standing in the roadway. Our Houston motorcycle injury attorneys note that the bull would likely have weighed much more than Mr. Martin and his motorcycle together.
The accident occurred on Highway 82 by the west Lamar County line. Timothy Martin was ejected from his bike by the violent collision and died at the scene of the tragic crash. A short time later, an 18-wheeler also crashed into the bull at Honey Grove. The truck driver was not hurt. Texas DPS troopers said that the owner of the bull might face charges. (kxii.com, 9/19/13) Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Martin’s family and friends at this time.
How Common are Fatal Fixed Object Collisions with Motorcycles?
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an organization very interested in determining the cause of accidents and better ways to prevent them because its industry has to pay the costs of the crashes. The IIHS found that in 2011, for example, 23% of all fatal motorcycle collisions were with fixed objects like concrete highway barriers, signposts, trees, and the occasional oblivious bull in the roadway. Our Houston motorcycle injury attorneys mention for comparison that only 16% of the fatal crashes of enclosed vehicles involved fixed objects. That’s a substantial difference.
Many of the enclosed vehicle crashes with fixed objects are due to driver distraction, drunkenness, or speeding. But the motorcycles’ crashes into fixed objects occur because the two-wheeled vehicles are less stable than four (or more) wheeled vehicles and because larger, enclosed vehicles often turn or stop suddenly in front of the bikes.
The Houston motorcycle injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC caution that drivers of larger vehicles chronically either fail to perceive smaller motorcycles or think that they’re farther away than they actually are. And the larger vehicles’ sudden turns cause the smaller bikes to try to make hasty evasive maneuvers that might send the motorcycle out of control to hit another object or a stopped or turning car.
Learn Important Pitfalls and Procedures in the Aftermath of a Serious Texas Motorcycle Crash
Download our FREE guide by clicking on the book icon on this web page. And feel free to contact us if you have questions about the motorcycle accident injury that harmed you or your loved one. The Houston motorcycle injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC provide a FREE, no obligation initial legal consultation to discuss the specific facts of your accident and evaluate your potential eligibility for the full financial recovery you deserve for your injuries or losses. And we never charge you attorneys’ fees unless we win your case for you. Call us at 713-807-9500 or reach us anytime through our online contact form.